Górka Palace

Górka Palace

It is situated in the south-eastern corner of the Old Market Square. The original building was totally destroyed during World War II and reconstructed in 1960s. In its 17th and 18th-century forms, were uncovered Renaissance arcades on the patio. One of the few original elements is a richly ornamented Renaissance sandstone portal, leading to the patio from Klasztorna Street. The portal at Wodna Street is reconstructed.

The first building was erected in the 1540s, joining a few Gothic houses and adding Renaissance ornaments. The pride of the palace was a small cloister. Its owner supported Reformation, thus their residence became a local centre of Lutheranism. After the last Górka family member died the palace changed owners a few times and it finally became a city property, then it was sold to Benedictine Sisters. After the convent was liquidated in 1803, it was turned into a middle girls' school and at the end of the 19th century it was remodelled into a tenement house.

Today it houses the Archaeological Museum. It is one the oldest and biggest archaeological museums in Poland, established in 1857. It has permanent exhibitions showing Great Poland's pre-history and the beginning of Polish statehood.